Improvement in xwriting-slates



f 5mm' Meeeeew @met ' DANI-EL W. NILES, or CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

' Letters Patent No. 86,17 7, dated January 26, 1869.

IIWPROVEMENT IN WRITING-SLATES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesam To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, 'DANIEL W. N inns,of Oambridgeport, in the county of Middlesex, and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in SlateJFrameS, ofwhich the following'is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specicaftion, in 'Which- Figure 1 is a perspective View ofa slate enclosedwithin my improved frame.

Figure 2 is a plan of the same, provided with designs for copyingthereon.

Figure 3'is an enlarged section on the lineare of fi g. 2. My inventionrelates to that class of slates whose frames are provided with designsof various descriptions, which serve as lessons or examples for thepupil or learner to copy upon the slate, enclosed within the said frame.

4 These frames, as heretiifore constructed, are provided with a smoothor uniformly unbroken surface, upon which the design to be copied ispasted or otherwise secured, but this construction is objectionable forthe following reasons, viz, the edges of the paper bearing the designare liable to be turned up, and the design itself is soon injured anddestroyed 'by coming in Icon-A tact with the desk or table upon whichthe slateis placed, or by any article that may be laid thereon.

To obviate the above-mentioned objections is the purpose of myinvention, which consists in a frame provided with a channel orgroove-for the reception of a strip of' Wood, paper, or other materialbearing ldie design, by which construction I am enabled not only toprotect the edge, but also to prevent the design from coming in contactwith the desk or other object, and thus e'ectually preserve the designfrom injury.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention,l will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings- A represents a slate enclosed within a frame,-B,both sides of which are recessed out from the points a to the points b,forming channels or grooves c for the reception of thin sheets, orlaniinae of wood, or strips off/other material, upon .which are executeddesigns of v/arious descriptions, such as lessons in writing,geometrical lignres, drawings, 85o., for pupils in primary schools, orothers to copy therefrom. 1

When the slate is laid upon a desk, the surface of the frame at thepoints a and bonly comes in contact therewith, thus scrvin g to protectand prevent the turning up of the edges of the strips of wood, or othermaterial bearing the designs, and' also protecting the whole surface ofthe design from being soiled or otherwise injured.

It will also be seen from my improved form of construction, that thedesigns are not liable to be touched y the hand of the pupil or learner,and any object, such as another slate orbook, may be laid upon theframe'without coming in contact with and injuring the designs.

Claim.

c, for the purpose set forth.

DANIEL W. NILES.

Witnesses:

P. E. TnsoHEMAoHnR, W. J. CAMBRIDGE.'

